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Lake Superior Circle Tour Club  Member
Comments Join today. Send comments and trip details to: Circle Tour Club P.O. Box 16417 Duluth, MN 55816-0417 or E-Mail: CircleTourClub@lakesuperior.com |
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Lake Superior Circle Tour Club Member
Comments Join today. Send comments and trip details to: Circle Tour Club P.O. Box 16417 Duluth, MN 55816-0417 or E-Mail: CircleTourClub@lakesuperior.com |
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July 2010 Ann & Hal Brown and their 3-year-old Shitzu/Pek Tippy completed the Lake Superior circle in 35 days on July 29, 2010. We had visited all parts of the circle on previous trips, but had never driven the complete circle at one time. This time we tried to stay at places new to us and not stay at exactly the same places we did previously. It was a wonderful trip that began in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where we joined in the International Bridge Walk on June 26th. We also enjoyed the 7 p.m. twilight walking tour starting at the gate to the Soo Locks. The town also has a great list of activities; we enjoyed a speaker, the sole survivor of a freighter sinking and the Pub Runners who played at a concert on the lawn of the Soo Locks. The first place we stayed in Canada was Pancake Bay Provincial Park and were delighted with their nature trail and that there was a dog beach on Lake Superior for Tippy! We drove through Wawa last time and this time stayed three days as there was so much to discover: several lovely waterfalls, the Lion’s Beachfront Heritage Walk, the THREE Wawa Geese!, the First Nation Beach and Cultural Display, paddling the Magpie River from our campground at the Wawa RV Resort, and discovering Naturally Superior Adventures.We made a mistake in not staying at Pukaskwa National Park, but didn’t find enough information about camping there and stayed at Marathon’s Penn Lake Park and Campground where a bear walked across in front of our coach one morning! It also was a great base for day trips. We made one west to Neys Provincial Park, seeing a spruce goose and her babies and learning about the POW camp there earlier and the history of the Little Pic River. Then the super day we spent at Pukaskwa Park, where we hiked the gorgeous Southern Headland Trail and took a guided tour around Halfway Lake, then put our kayaks in at Paddles to the Sea Visitor Center and out to Lake Superior. What a tiring, but FANTASTIC day! The Pebble Beach in Marathon, Ontario, is not to be missed with all the huge dead trees that have washed or blown in during the winter and the colorfully beautiful, large, rounded and worn stones. At Dorian, Ontario, we discovered the delightful Museum in a old Anglican Church, “Memories of Days Gone By”, a wonderful surprise on the way to Ouimet Canyon, that we didn’t realize we visited 18 years before, but worth a repeat. Of course, the scenery driving along Highway 17 is marvelous. The weather from Lake Superior caused mist and fog many days that really enhanced the views as it moved in and out and revealed its secrets. The small inland lakes looked as if moose should be there, but we weren’t fortunate enough to see any. The Grand Portage area in Minnesota was the next jewel. (Yes, we did three or four other Provincial Parks and also Fort William on the previous trips.) We waited for the boat to take us to Isle Royale and while waiting found Pidgeon River High Falls and the Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center with all its interactive exhibits and the fort right on the lake with the re-enactments. We had wet and rough weather to Isle Royale and our hike was canceled due to heavy thunderstorms passing through, but at least we finally made it over. The only time we hurried was the next day when we drove through Minnesota and Wisconsin to “Pure Michigan” to meet my daughter and her husband, near Ironwood in the Ottawa/Black River Forest. We hiked to several lovely waterfalls and picked thimbleberries and made them into preserves, admired the ski flying hill at Copper Peak, Michigan, and attended a fun fair in Ironwood before moving on to the beachfront campsites at Ontonagon, Michigan. Here we saw more rushing waterfalls AND spent another busy day in the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park - a winner for three years running of one of the “Best State Parks” in the Nation. The Keweenaw Peninsula was another highlight and we camped at Lake Linden’s city campground on Torch Lake, since it is just north of Houghton/Hancock and makes a great day trip both north and south. Then there were more lighthouses, waterfalls, pebbles on the beach, kayaking and museums. The wildflowers were blooming along all the roads on the trip. Marquette, Michigan, is a city we had only driven through and it is another marvelous stop. We had facilities we had not had for a while and also enjoyed the beauty of the shore parks and drives. The Vierling Pub was a great place to celebrate Hal’s 75th birthday. From here we headed to a favorite of ours: Munising at the Bay Furnace National Forest. We can now also recommend the walk-in clinic across from the hospital for their wonderful care and service! Two years ago we spent more than a month in the area from Munising to the Sault so we skipped stopping at Seney, Tahquamenon, Whitefish Point and just drove by and on to the Sault. It was a trip we will not soon forget. The Wilderness Wanderers. Ann, Hal & Tippy Brown, Treasure Island, Florida July 2010 Completed the Circle Tour on July 10, 2010, by motorcycle. Our favorite spot? There is a Polish restaurant in Wawa, Ontario, that was excellent. Wade & Lauri Johnson, Duluth, Minnesota June 2010 My wife and I completed the tour this last June (2010). The route took us from our son’s house in mid-Iowa up through Wisconsin to Superior, then Duluth, Minnesota, and up the north shore. Stopped for a few days in Thunder Bay, where our daughter lives, then continued on. Overnight in Wawa, Ontario. Our favorite spot - Old Woman Bay. Continued to Sault Ste. Marie. We crossed into Michigan and overnight. Back down the south shore, then overnight in Houghton, Michigan. On to Bayfield and then Superior to completion. On the south side, the coastline scenery just past Silver City was wonderful. P. Dan & Myrna Brittain, Harrison, Arkansas |
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